


The World Where Only I Am Missing

by isobe



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Construction Worker Mikasa, I'm sick of chad eren, Memory Loss, Modern AU, Modern Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, Mystery, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:20:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28970490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isobe/pseuds/isobe
Summary: Mikasa finds a stray Eren on the streets and takes him in.
Relationships: Mikasa Ackerman & Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman/Eren Yeager
Comments: 9
Kudos: 51





	The World Where Only I Am Missing

It was just past ten o’clock when Mikasa Ackerman finally left the construction site after a long day of work.

Her hard hat was unbuckled, removed, and swung around by the straps as she walked, scrolling through her cracked smartphone. She wore a neon safety vest over her white shirt and a pair of combat trousers. Her shoulder-length hair was tied into a short ponytail just above her nape, while her unruly bangs stuck to her forehead in sweat — Mikasa didn’t tend to use the showering facilities provided at the site, because they felt unhygienic.

\- I’m going to be home late today - showed the text message on her screen.

It was from her flatmate Annie Leonhart, perhaps the only person who texted her on a regular basis.

\- Okay - Mikasa replied.

Annie worked part-time at some dojo, and often did not return until past midnight. Mikasa knew that the girl earnt extra money not to sustain her own living costs and tuition fees, but to subsidise her father. The reason for this was never explained, and Mikasa never asked, mainly because she didn’t even know what she was earning money for herself.

Flashing streetlights illuminated store signs and large windows. Cars and trucks drove by steadily, halting at the zebra crossings. The air was cold and damp, having rained earlier during the day.

It was just another normal day, but something didn’t feel right.

Mikasa thought it was maybe just her migraines again. She often got these when working long shifts, accidentally breathing in dust and chemicals despite wearing personal protective equipment. When she became absorbed in physical labour, it was difficult for her to stay attentive to her own safety; her mind blanked out, which was good because she didn’t have to think of anything.

That wasn’t it. There was a lingering feeling inside Mikasa that she had forgotten something important, so much so that she outwardly scowled. Was it the near-emptied cigarette box in her pocket, or the annoying horse-faced guy who hit on her during lunch break today? (“What’s a beauty like you doing in builder's clothes?” he had yelled.) Yet neither of them seemed to be the pressing issue.

Maybe she had forgotten to close the windows in the apartment when she left — if so, Annie was going to get mad at her, because that meant the heat from the pre-timed radiator was going to waste. Or maybe she forgot to pay the water bills, but that was definitely sorted last week.

As Mikasa continued her way, a sinking feeling of trivial frustration took hold, since it was unusual for her to not remember something. That was, until she caught sight of a familiar figure from the corner of her vision.

A boy with messy brown hair and greyish-green eyes.

Eyes that reflected light in the dark.

Mikasa stopped in her tracks. He was the same boy whom she had accidentally made eye contact when she was on her way back to work earlier; and at that very moment of brief exchange she almost thought they knew each other from somewhere. But she didn’t, and therefore broke away from the communication straightaway, thinking it was odd of herself to take notice of a stranger in the first place.

Now that the same stranger was standing less than five metres away, Mikasa could not help but meet his stare.

Why was he looking at her?

No sensible person would deduce this was a mere coincidence. Did that mean he was following her the whole time? But that explanation didn’t seem rational, since she had spent hours at the construction site. Unless...

Mikasa stopped the swinging of her hard hat. The stranger could have been waiting for hours too, waiting for her to finish.

Usually by this time of realisation, anyone would have started walking briskly away, then broke into a sprint once they turned a corner. But Mikasa, transfixed by the taller stranger, stood rooted in her place, surveying his appearance.

What were most striking were his resolute, cat-like eyes, piercing through whatever he focused on. His face was boyish and tanned, but also tired, as if he had not slept well for days; his hair was chin-lengthed and fell in soft locks around. Over his lime green shirt he wore a dirty cardigan too thin for this weather, and trousers which exposed his ankles. Despite the peculiar attire, all of his being was eerily familiar, eliciting emotions Mikasa never knew she had.

She felt like she had known him for a long, long time.

And yet, the girl did not even know his name; she had never even seen him until today. That fact alone shook her out of the mystical trance, and she quickly turned away. Indeed, her job must have exhausted her into not thinking straight — she had almost wanted to approach the stranded-looking boy, if it were not for rationality keeping her wary.

He was still following her.

Mikasa could feel the stranger’s eyes on her back as she walked towards a nearby convenience store, but did not look back to meet his gaze. Unlike usual, she did not feel the need to intimidate through her glare; the overwhelming sensation of familiarity was beguiling. And above all, the boy was keeping his distance, which meant that he must know they did not know each other. To be honest, it piqued her interest in the slightest.

Nonchalantly entering the store, Mikasa was hit by a wave of coldness from the chilled food section adjacent to the slide doors. She took a plastic-wrapped onigiri and placed it inside a basket, then after a pause, took another one from the shelf. These mass-manufactured Japanese food were never as good as the ones her mother used to make, but Mikasa never got the chance to learn how to season vinegared rice properly herself.

She could sense that the boy wasn’t following her anymore.

Next, the girl visited the fruit and vegetable isle to buy the ingredients required for tonight’s dinner; for some reason, she bought more than her and Annie usually needed, though the latter probably wasn’t eating home tonight. Anyhow, Annie always ate leftovers from the night before for breakfast, in order to save money; or she simply couldn’t be bothered to make food in the mornings.

By the time Mikasa had paid for everything — including an extra pack of cigarettes — and exited the shop with two full grocery bags, the sky was significantly darker than before, save a few hovering signposts from nearby skyscrapers. It was always cool and dark at night during winter, but Mikasa wasn’t cold; her strong arms carried the weight of the bags with ease. Breathing out huffs of misty clouds, the girl’s sturdy silhouette was dark against the convenience store’s artificial brightness.

She swivelled her eyes sideways, and just as expected, the brown-haired stranger was waiting for her. Patiently. Apprehensively. His countenance in the dark was nervous and tense, somewhat resembling a lost puppy.

Sighing.

“Have we met somewhere?” asked Mikasa, with caution.

The boy appeared surprised that she had spoken first, as he began fidgeting with his sleeve. Conflictingly, he nodded, then shook his head.

Mikasa frowned, unable to rid of the feeling of nostalgia when staring at him. Her logic was telling her evacuate the weird situation as soon as possible, but her intuition brought out a sense of sympathy for the stranger. If he were homeless, which he indeed looked, then it would make sense that he was tailing someone for food or shelter; the fact that he was so persistent with Mikasa, a girl who daunted others just by a glare, did not make sense. Furthermore, his reflex response to her question confirmed an unknown connection which could not be written off as coincidental.

The Ackerman’s line of thought was interrupted by a comical growl that suddenly emitted from the stranger’s stomach, to which he blushed, doubling over to conceal it in vain.

Deadpanned, Mikasa searched through her grocery bag and presented a pre-made onigiri, which she had purchased in the store, from an extended arm.

“...Want it?”

The boy’s eyes lit up. Intently, he stepped forwards, taking the food from Mikasa’s hand; his movements were full of animalistic curiosity, like a creature sniffing out its game before consumption. Indeed, he examined it long enough to make Mikasa impatient, then bit straight into the plastic wrapping.

Eyes widening, Mikasa snatched it out of his mouth. The outer layer was drenched in saliva as she looked on in disgust.

“Never mind,” she said, tossing it onto the ground.

The boy stared at her in shock, drool seeping from the corner of his mouth. He was such a sight that Mikasa could not help but think of herself as stupid for getting involved in something so abnormal — everyone knew not to interact with crazed wanderers who stalked you, especially ones who didn’t even know to remove the packaging before eating shop-bought food.

“Don’t follow me anymore.” Mikasa turned to abandon him.

And he didn’t, because when she glanced back after walking some way, she saw that he was standing in the same position. He had picked the dirtied onigiri up from the ground, and was tearing through the plastic with his teeth.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is my first Eremika fic so please be kind :D  
> Actually I have another EM fic that I just haven't complete yet so I published this one first


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